Fears over the fitness of star forward Darren Huckerby are growing with City sending him home early from their trip to Holland. The double player of the season has not appeared in any of the Canaries' four pre-season matches so far.

Fears over the fitness of star forward Darren Huckerby are growing with City sending him home early from their trip to Holland.

The double player of the season has not appeared in any of the Canaries' four pre-season matches so far.

Huckerby, 31, has been suffering from a groin strain and was a spectator again at Saturday's 2-0 victory over AGOVV Apeldoorn in Harderwijk.

After the game manager Peter Grant said: “Darren's got a slight strain and I maybe need to send him home. I maybe need to get that checked out and just want to make sure because I'm not going to push it. He feels OK at times and then other times he doesn't feel so great.

“Today after training he was still feeling a bit sore so I feel it's better maybe he's back home and just has that looked at.”

French midfielder Julien Brellier is also unlikely to play the second game in Holland, against FC Zwolle on Wednesday. Brellier lasted just 45 minutes at King's Lynn last Wednesday, when he was substituted with a thigh problem.

“Julien is similar because he's got a slight strain in his thigh. I think that's just down to tiredness,” said Grant. “Yet again, we can't get away from it this time of year, you just have to work.

“He's a bit stiff in his thigh. We'll just check that out and maybe leave him out again on Wednesday.”

With the first Coca-Cola Championship match at Preston less than three weeks away, Grant is still keen to add to his squad.

He said: “We're still looking to get players in. We're making a lot of inquiries to see what's out there and hopefully we'll have something in the next couple of weeks.

“We'll keep knocking at the door and see if anything comes of it.”